Water Efficient Toilets

Check your toilet right now. Somewhere, usually next to the brand name, will be a rating label looking something like this: “6.0 Lpf /1.6 gpf”. This rating refers to “gallons per flush” and the water efficient toilets, or low flow toilets, are typically 1.6 gpf. What is your toilet rated?

Smart flushing can save you a considerable amount of money over the long run. Consider the efficient 1.6 gpf, and the fact that older toilets were 6 or 7 gpf. That water bill adds up! Although more expensive, there are dual flush toilet models that offer a light flush and heavy flush, depending on the duty. The light flushes can be as low as .8 gpf.

Installing a new toilet is a fairly serious project. Some DIY’s can tackle this project themselves but for most we strongly advise hiring a professional plumber to install your efficient toilet. At the very least, a plumber is your best bet at safely and successfully removing your old toilet as there may be some old rust on the bolts and pipes.

Four (4) types of water efficient toilet systems currently available:

#1 Gravity Fed Single Flush Toilets

Gravity fed single- flush toilets operate the same way as any standard toilet, however, they use less total capacity per flush. Typical flush capacities that are available for these models are 1.1 and 1.28 gallons.

#2 Dual-Flush Toilets

Designed for light and heavy flushes, dual-flush toilets tend to average less than 1.2 gallons per flush. They meet HET criteria of 1.28 gallons per flush or less (HET criteria for dual- flush toilets identifies the effective flush volume as the average of one high flush and two low flushes). Dual- flush models are available from many well-known manufacturers with light flush capacities from 0.8 to 1.1 gallons and heavy flush capacities from 1.3 to 1.6 gallons per flush. These toilets typically operate with a handle that can move up or down, or a two-button system. One direction or button will activate the lower flow flush, while the other will activate the higher flow flush.

#3 Pressure Assist Toilets

Pressure assist, or pressurized tank, toilets are another high- performance, low- consumption alternative. These toilets use either water line pressure or a device in the tank to create additional force from air pressure to flush the toilet. The device in the tank could either be a storage device with compressed air that would require replacement or a tank that creates pressure when the tank is being filled. These toilets typically average 1.1 to 1.2 gallons per flush. Some pressure assist systems move a greater volume of water at a significantly lesser volume of sound.

#4 Power Assist Toilets

Power assist toilets operate using a pump to force water down at a higher velocity than gravity toilets. Power assist toilets require a 120-V power source to operate the small fractional horsepower pump. Typical flush volumes are between 1.0 and 1.3 gallons per flush and dual-flush models are also available.

All of these systems are strong alternatives that offer attractive cost savings and contribute to our conservation efforts.

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